KAC-L-O-V-E
by iloveromance
Summary: While filling in for his ailing brother as host of the Dr. Frasier Crane show, Niles receives a phone call from someone asking for advice. And from that moment on, his life is changed forever. (Episode: "Frasier Crane's Day Off"). Written for Pat2Trivia4Me
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a gift for Pat2Trivia4Me in gratitude for friendship and support. **

As he sat down in the seat that was normally occupied by his older brother; the popular radio psychiatrist, Niles felt a sudden sense of pride. It was ridiculous, perhaps, because he'd always found so-called "radio-psychology" demeaning to the profession that he loved so much. But he loved his brother too, and because Frasier had fallen too ill to do his own radio show, Niles was more than happy to fill in.

He'd never imagined himself giving advice over the radio, having chided Frasier about it for so long, but now the prospect excited him. The challenge of helping someone without seeing their face and without being able to read their emotions was intriguing to say the least. The unbridled enthusiasm within him increased and he slipped the headphones over his head and smiled at Roz. "Well, here we go!"

The ON AIR light glowed and he began his show. "This is Dr. Niles Crane filling in for his ailing brother Frasier Crane on KACL-780AM. Frasier's producer Roz Doyle and I are ready to take your calls, so let's get better!"

Amused at his quick thinking, he glanced at Roz who smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. This was going to be a great show; he could feel it.

"Okay, Roz… Who's our first caller?"

"We have a woman on Line One from Seattle."

His eyebrows rose. "And?"

"And that's it."

Niles tried to keep his cool. "I meant _and _as in _and_… what's her name?"

Roz shrugged. "She wouldn't tell me."

The anger in him had settled itself into his stomach and he was determined to keep it there. To explode in a burst of irritation on air could have severe consequences. No matter how sick Frasier was, he had no doubt that his older brother was listening.

"That's… not very helpful Roz, but it's all right. Just tell me what she was calling about." Niles rolled his eyes, grateful that his listeners (if in fact there were any left besides Frasier) couldn't see his expression. "Well, that's…very nice. Gee Roz; it's so nice to have a call screener to weed out legitimate calls, ISN'T IT?"

"Hey! It's not my fault that she wouldn't tell me anything! If she's that delusional maybe she should see a real shrink!"

Niles' mouth fell open in horror. "How dare you-."

Instantly Roz recoiled, surprising him. "Sorry."

The deep sigh that left him was more audible than he intended. "Fine, let's just… take another call."

"There aren't any. Just her."

"You mean she's still on the line?"

"Well yeah, what did you think?"

Niles rubbed his aching temple, suddenly having a sense of appreciation for his brother's endless stories of the headaches he endured at work from callers who wanted advice but simply refused to give any information at all. "Dear God..." He mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, Roz. Just… send her through. But make sure she knows that the next time-."

"Here she comes."

Niles braced himself for disaster and cleared his throat, his fingers trembling as he pushed the button.

"This is Dr. Niles Crane. Let's get better!"

The line was silent and at first he thought the caller was gone. He was annoyed of course, but it was a relief of epic proportions. "Way to go Roz, she's gone. I-." A faint sound came from the phone, annoying him even further.

"Caller, are you there?" He snapped.

The sound became a bit more distinct and suddenly he regretted his harsh attitude, for it wasn't a mere sound but quiet, muffled sobs. He took a deep breath and spoke again, his voice much calmer and more sincere than before. "Caller, if you're still there, I want to help. I-I know I'm not Frasier but-." His harmless comment was meant to be funny, but it only served to make the caller-clearly a woman-cry harder. "Please… I want to help you." _  
_

_"I-I don't think anyone can help me."_

Had he not been sitting down, he surely might have fainted. The voice, although barely audible, was unmistakable. His imagination was playing tricks on him, because surely….

He glanced at Roz, her mouth open in disbelief. "_Is that Daphne?" _ She mouthed through the glass booth window.

"I-I…" Niles disillusioned state was temporarily broken by the sound of sobbing. "Um look, miss… Whatever you're going through or how hopeless you think things are, there's always a way-

He heard a deep sigh and a sniffle. _"I-I think I'm in love with someone and I don't know what to do about it."_


	2. Chapter 2

He was so stunned that he could barely breathe. And he was barely aware of the way that Roz was banging on the window from the booth in a desperate attempt to get his attention. But his state of shock was so great that he continued to stare into space, listening to the soft sounds of her sobbing, which were slightly muffled through his headphones. He was listening to the sound so intensely that he wasn't at all prepared for the unsettling voice that cut though his state of disillusion.

"NILES!"

He jumped his heart racing as his headphones fell to the ground with a thud. And when he bent down to retrieve them, he looked up to see Roz glaring at him through the booth window. He shot her a death glare and curled his hand into a fist. "That's _Doctor_ Crane!" He said as firmly as possible.

"All right DOCTOR Crane." Roz mocked, not bothering at all to hide her annoyance. "You say that you're a brilliant psychiatrist like your brother, our own Dr. Frasier Crane, so if that's true, how is it possible that you obviously aren't aware that your caller is still on the line? AND SHE'S SOBBING?"

He blinked, suddenly brought back to the present. "What?"

"The caller? On the phone?"

But he was still disoriented. "What?"

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, DO SOMETHING!" She screamed. "AND YOU'D BETTER DO IT FAST! THERE'S NO WAY I'M LOSING MY JOB BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"FINE!" he snapped, scrambling back into his chair and attempting to put his headphones back on. His eyes moved to the blinking white light, but when he looked back at Roz, she quickly picked up a marker and wrote furiously. And then she held the large white piece of paper against the window;

_YOUR CALLER IS STILL ON HOLD! PRESS THE DAMN BUTTON!_ It read.

"Oh dear God…" he said, suddenly mortified. His heart was pounding furiously in his chest and his hand trembled as he reached for the blinking white light.

As soon as his fingers touched the smooth plastic of the tiny button, the sounds of her sobbing filled the studio once more.

"Um… hello… caller?"

_"H-hullo."_ This time her voice was even more unsteady. And for the first time in his life he had no idea what to say. What could he say?

"SAY SOMETHING!" Roz hissed yet again. "SAY SOMETHING, ANYTHING! SAY _GOODBYE_!"

He stared at Roz in disbelief. "_Goodbye_? But it's-."

"I don't care if it's _Audrey Hepbur_n! Say goodbye! There are callers waiting! The board's lit up like a damn Christmas tree!" Roz yelled, obviously unaware that she could be heard over the airwaves. And if she was in fact aware of that fact, she simply didn't care.

His heart was running like a freight train and he tried to focus on the caller, the caller that he knew without a doubt to be Daphne. But his ethics were fighting him tooth and nail. How could he possibly be expected to comment on-

"_I'm sorry..."_ her quivering voice said. _"I shouldn't have bothered you. I know you have a show to do and you have callers that have a lot more problems than I do. Goodbye, Dr. Crane."_

A state of panic went through him, unlike any he'd ever experienced. And suddenly he found his voice. "No, wait! Don't hang up!" he said desperately. "Let me help you! Please!"

He waited for what seemed like hours, but was merely seconds, almost forgetting that he was supposed to be breathing. And it wasn't until he heard her voice again that he was able to relax.

This time her voice was childlike and timid. _"O-okay…"  
_

His heart swelled and he felt as though he could fly. "You mean…"

"_Please help me, Dr. Crane. I need you."_


	3. Chapter 3

He could hardly believe what he was hearing and although he knew that she meant the words in an entirely different way, he couldn't help but think-

She sniffled, bringing his attention back to the present once more. _"Dr. Crane, are you there?"_

"What? Oh yes. I… right. About this man…"

But the moment the words were out of his mouth, he heard her start to cry once more. The sound nearly shattered his heart.

Ignoring Roz's waving hand, which signaled that the show must soon come to an end, he focused instead on the woman he loved (the woman, the caller that he was certain was one hundred percent certain was Daphne) and vowed to help her, no matter how badly it hurt. If he really and truly loved her (and he really and truly did), he'd do anything in his power to help her; anything at all. Even if it meant getting his heart broken in the process.

He licked his dry lips and chose his words carefully. "Dap-um… Miss, why are you crying?"

She sniffled again_. "I'm sorry Dr. Crane. You must think I'm completely daft. And it's all right. Because everyone else does."  
_

Immediately Niles' mind went to his ailing brother and the memory of when he'd first told Niles about the home health care worker that Frasier had hired to take care of their father. Niles would never forget that conversation:

"_So what's she like?" Niles had asked, taking a sip of his non-fat half-caf latte with the faintest hint of cinnamon. _

"_What's she like?" Frasier retorted. "I'll tell you what she's like, Niles! She's a KOOK! And if it weren't for Dad insisting that I hire her, Daphne would still be an UNEMPLOYEED KOOK!"  
_

Niles didn't think much of Frasier's word back then but now they burned him to the core.

_"I'm sorry to have bothered you. Goodbye."_

"Wait!" he said, almost desperate. "I'm sorry. I-I was momentarily distracted. But please don't talk that way about yourself. You're not… what was that word again? Daft?"

She laughed softly, the sound music to his ears. _"Thank you. That's very sweet. But everyone else thinks that I'm daft and they-."  
_

"Don't know you." Niles said, more sharply than he intended. "I-I may not know you either, but… Oh, you haven't given me our name."

_"I know. I can't."_

He nodded. "Of course. I understand. But I can tell from your voice that you're a very… warm and wonderful and caring person. Someone who deserves to be loved by um… someone who will give you the kind of love…"

She began to cry again, shattering his heart once more and he knew that he owed it to her to be completely honest with her. What kind of man would he be if he didn't? What kind of friend would he be? No, he wouldn't do that to her out of his own selfishness. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

"Why are you crying?" he asked once again, more softly this time.

There was a slight yet unexpected pause before she answered. _"Because… I don't think he loves me."_

His heart sank. "H-how could anyone…"

_Not love you? You're an angel…_ He added silently.

"_He-he's my friend. My best friend, actually." _She said._ "And… well, he's been through a lot. He's been hurt. And I don't want to hurt him even more."_

"You could never-I-I mean… I'm sure that wouldn't happen. And it sounds like you're really hurting over this. But my question to you is….why?"

_"Why what?"  
_

"If you love this man, and I really and truly believe that you do… Then why are you so upset?"

_"Because, I… he has no idea how I feel about him. I've kept it inside for so long and what if I've waited too long? What if he doesn't feel the same way?"  
_

"Just tell him…"

_"But what will happen then?"  
_

"Then he'll know." Niles said simply.

_"But how-."  
_

Niles sighed, wishing that he could tell her what his heart wanted so badly to say. How could any man in their right mind reject the angelic Daphne Moon? But instead he said the only thing that he could say. "I just have a feeling."

Amazingly her sniffling stopped. _"A-all right. Maybe I will. Thank you, Dr. Crane."  
_

"And miss?" He added, almost as an afterthought.

_"Yes?"_

"When you do tell him, make sure he knows exactly how you feel. Don't leave anything to chance."

"A-all right. Thank you. Goodbye."

He smiled. His heart was warm, yet full of sadness. If he couldn't have Daphne, at least he could have some hand in her finding happiness. And wasn't that what love was all about? When he heard Roz knocking on the window he looked over, suddenly feeling guilty for taking longer than the allotted time for Frasier's show. But Roz was smiling, pointing to her watch.

"That's all the time we have for today, so thank you for listening and goodnight." Niles said. And when he looked over at Roz once more she was holding up a sign and smiling. The sign read;

_WAY TO GO, NILES._


	4. Chapter 4

He stood at his brother's doorstep, his heart racing. He had no idea why he was so nervous. Showing up unannounced at the Elliott Bay Towers was something he'd done almost every day. But he knew that sooner or later, he was bound to run into Daphne and her new boyfriend; the man that Niles had encouraged her to give her heart to.

Why, oh why couldn't he be that man?

No… he would not think it. It was terrible feeling this way, so selfish. It was wrong and not to mention completely unethical. Daphne Moon deserved every bit of happiness in the world and her happiness was the most important thing to him. If Niles really loved her (and of course he did) he'd forget about his loneliness and be happy for her-and for the man who won her heart.

The door opened and she stood before him. Wearing a forest green dress and her hair swept up on her head, she simply took his breath away. Never in his life had he seen anyone or anything lovelier.

"Dr. Crane…"

"H-hello Daphne. I-."

Suddenly her hands were on his shoulders and her lips were on his, kissing him again and again. His heart was racing even faster than before and he was no longer sure if he was dreaming or if the moment was real. But he didn't want to find out the truth. His hands drew her closer to him, and he felt her arms slide around his neck as the kisses deepened. It was the most heavenly moment of his life and he never wanted it to end. But when it did, he could only stare at her in disbelief.

"D-Daphne… What are you doing?"

He hadn't meant for the question to come out the way it did, but now that it was out there was no taking it back. But to his surprise, she cradled his face in her hands.

"Just following your advice, Dr. Crane."

"M-my…"

She smiled, her eyes filling with tears once more. "You said to leave nothing to chance, didn't you? And didn't you say that if I loved this man, I should tell him?"

"Y-you mean that was really…. But how…"

"It was very sweet of you to fill in for your brother. And thank you for being so sweet to me when I called. I'm sorry I was so daft on the phone."

"I can't believe that you really.. That it was really..."

She laughed and hugged him warmly, affording him the scent of her hair. "That was me. I didn't mean to be so daft. I was just…"

He opened his mouth to speak but her lips met his once more. When the kisses ended he felt his eyes fill with tears. And she kissed him again. "Please don't cry, Sweetheart. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted you to know that I love you."

He was so happy that the tears he'd been trying to hold back began to make their way down his cheeks. "Oh Daphne…"

Her lips were on his mouth, his cheeks and his forehead, kissing away his tears. "I love you, Niles Crane. I love you so much. And I hope that you love me too."

"O-of course I do, Daphne… I've always…"

She laughed through her tears and hugged him again. "Good… I was hoping you'd say that."

He kissed her again and again and then drew her into his arms. They held onto each other, both of them crying tears of joy. To anyone else they might look silly but it was the most wonderful, perfect moment he could have ever imagined. And when they drew out of each other's arms, she smiled and ran her hand through his hair and smiled.

"So does this mean you love me too?"

"Yes. I-I do, Daphne. I love you…" He said, brushing the tears from his cheeks before engulfing her into his arms once more. "I love you so much…"

"Then come inside with me." She said, taking his hand. "Your brother is sleeping and will be asleep for a while and your father went to Duke's."

"So…. We're alone?"

"Looks that way. So will you come in?"

He smiled and kissed her once more. "I'd love to."

**THE END**


End file.
